Recordings.

Alanis Morissette MTV Unplugged (Maverick) MTV's...

December 12, 1999|By Allison Stewart.

Alanis Morissette

MTV Unplugged (Maverick)

MTV's long-running, acoustic-based "Unplugged" records find almost everyone on their best behavior, and Alanis Morissette is no exception. On this delicate, occasionally orchestral offering, everything that tends to be a little much about Morissette (her unfocused, overly confessional songwriting, her tic-heavy vocals) is forgivable, and everything likable (her lack of artifice, her girliness) is writ large. Split between tracks from her first and second records, with live staples ("No Pressure Over Cappuccino") and soundtrack hits ("Uninvited") thrown in, "Unplugged" is Morissette's finest and most grown-up record, though it isn't without its missteps: "You Oughta Know," its ferocity dependent largely upon its volume, falls short, and a seemingly unironic cover of the Police's "King of Pain" is ill-advised. At this point, the last thing Morissette needs is more angst.